Big events are a celebration and a chance to get everybody together. But they also serve as a natural check-in.

Take Beta City and its host location of City Garage in Port Covington. A year ago, City Garage was just opening its doors for the first Beta City. The former bus garage already had massive scale, but the event during Baltimore Innovation Week was the first look for entrepreneurs. Fast forward a year, and the space is filled with companies that span tech and textiles, a makerspace and a giant innovation manufacturing center.

Let’s just say, we’ve been there more than a few times.

This year’s event, which was organized by Betamore and Sagamore Ventures, provided a key look at the progress of Baltimore startups. Take the pitch competition, for instance. Tissue Analytics, which took home a $50,000 investment from TEDCO, raised $1.9 million earlier this year and is looking at more growth for its wound-care technology. Sickweather, emocha, Fixt, Workbench and Sisu Global Health are all expanding their client bases beyond Baltimore. And there’s an embrace of startups in all of Maryland, as indicated by the other pitch competition winner, Potomac-based TopBox. Its award was funded by Evergreen Advisors, Baltimore Angels, SunTrust, Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures, SC&H, Greenspring and the University System of Maryland.